Developing Young Producers Through A Challenge Group ...

Wyoming producers are challenged to think comprehensively, improve communication skills, and build management skills to improve their operations as they grow.

While beginning agricultural producers often have strong production and technology skills, they may be less proficient in business assessment and relationship skills. This leads to increased risks to the success of the operation and to frustration for the individuals involved. Cole Ehmke Extension Specialist, and his team at the University of Wyoming created the project Developing Young Producers Through A Challenge Group which was designed to teach financial, legal, risk management and strategic skills to new and beginning producers to better equip them to manage their operations as they grow.

Challenge Group 2008 consisted of eleven ag producer participants from eight farming operations in the Powell area of Northeast Wyoming who attended this one-year multi-session program. ?We focused on newer and younger producers because we felt they would get the most dramatic use from top-level management training,? says Ehmke. ?We wanted to challenge them to be the best managers they could be.?

The program was delivered in an interactive environment. ?We tried to keep the class topics actionable and participatory,? says Ehmke. Each session began with an educational segment, followed by additional time to work on strategic, marketing and financial plans. Ehmke shares, ?We wanted to see people apply the information taught during the sessions to ensure the information was being internalized and applied in a way that improved risk management.? To make sure participants came away with something tangible each session was directly linked to a portion of the business plan. In addition, an economist from the University of Wyoming performed an evaluation of each participant?s financial records and/or made suggestions for improved risk management and cost control for every operation.

The first session of the program was on personality style and how it affects communication. ?Realizing that personality influences communication is a powerful insight,? shares Ehmke. ?This session was a great icebreaker to bring people together fast.? Ehmke goes on to say, ?Throughout the program, participants talked freely among each other and discussed issues from their operations, which helped them apply the information they learned and built peer relationships.?

The group was encouraged to be creative and open to trying things that were nontraditional and entrepreneurial. ?Our participants all started thinking about new ventures,? recalls Ehmke. ?In the class, we helped them to take the next step.? To facilitate the peer support, producers toured other participants? operations while each host discussed the operation?s production performance and methods for improvement. This activity enabled participants to gain insights on increasing production efficiency.

As a result of this program nine of the eleven participants reported improved interpersonal, family, and business relationships; as well as, improved understanding of the components for a good business plan. Nine participants developed a vision statement and eleven developed a marketing plan. Eleven participants developed a list of goals and began the evaluation process of both the financial and legal impacts of meeting those goals, and all eleven completed a written business plan.

?The feedback we received was great,? Ehmke says. ?The participants got a lot out of the class, and they?ve improved their higher level farm management and risk management skills.? Ehmke goes on, ?Many producers were inspired to begin new enterprises that were not only new to their families, but new to the region as well.? In the end of class evaluations, all 11 participants claimed the course topics were relevant, the course content was easy to understand and they learned tools and information that they were able to use in their own operations.

As part of the evaluation process, participants? replied to the question, ?As a result of this class, what actions do you plan to take in the future to improve your personal finances?? Producer participants replied:

?I plan on looking at risks more and deciding if they are worth the reward.?

?Keep budgets.?

?We are so new to it that this class has helped us start off right.?

?More in depth analysis of various enterprises.?

?Plot a more solid business plan on paper so it can be acted on easily.?

?More organized and be up to date.?

?Use the record keeping and time management skills learned and incorporate those in my plan.?

?Personal finances were the biggest issue for me to address.?

?This class showed me how to get started and how to read and interpret the bottom lines ? Big Help.?

?Look closer at our ratios and see what needs to improve there.?

All participants said they intended to use business planning concepts from the class in their operations. Another participant comments:

?This is the best class I?ve ever taken!?

Due to the success of this program, the UW Extension has since hosted several more classes ? one each year in Powell alone. In the most recent Powell class, February and March of 2012, there were twelve more new and beginning farmers who participated. In recent classes, farmers report that they are more willing to explore diverse enterprises (like specialty crops), develop and follow business plans, conscientiously use farm records, and critically evaluate existing enterprises.

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Source: http://westrme.wsu.edu/2012/02/developing-young-producers-through-a-challenge-group/

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